27 Years Old from the UK Fixing Overcrowding

Hi everyone,

After months of planning and research the time has come for me to get the first of my fourteen trays tomorrow. I've found this site to be really useful and the reviews have been really insightful, so thanks everyone for your posts!

I've had overcrowding of my front two teeth since they first came in, and I've always been self conscious of them, not smiling properly or when I do smile I sort of cover my top teeth with my bottom lip if that makes sense! Particularly on my right side, I'm always aware of people noticing the one tooth sticking out! I've attached pictures so you can see.

I believe I'm going to be having ten attachments, two of which are on the main front tooth that pokes forward. I'm not too bothered about this right now, I'm just going to keep positive and that the end result will hopefully be worth it! I'll definitely do regular posts and will put some pictures up of the braces once they're on.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

So I'm one week in to my treatment and I think I'm just about settled into my Invisalign routine.

The first few days were understandably the most difficult, however it wasn't as much of a challenge as I thought it was going to be. I think the worst part initially was the amount of saliva that was in my mouth (sorry, gross I know!) and the lisping.

After a few hours I became aware of sensitivity in my front right tooth (not the one that sticks forward). This struck me as a little odd as I thought I'd have more discomfort in my front tooth that protrudes out. However when I re-looked over my Clincheck videos, I noticed that my front right tooth is actually going to me moving the most in the initial six stages or so, and the other tooth is essentially remaining where it is for now!

Over the course of the next three days or so, the sensitivity in the front teeth definately got worse, to the point where I was finding it almost impossible to bite down on them and was having to eat using my side teeth! However this has settled down a lot now, some sensitivity still but no where near as bad as it was. Saying that, I haven't felt the need to use any painkillers or anything, so it's definately been bearable. In the first few days, I also had this overwhelming urge to want to bite my teeth together all the time, I'm not sure why, my teeth just felt slightly irritated?

I've had no issues with the edges of the trays causing any problems. The left side of my tongue is very slightly sore but certainly not uncomfortable in the slightest. With regards to the lisping, I don't have it at all when I'm around friends and family, but I feel like it's more noticeable when I'm at work. I'm not sure if it's because I'm more conscious of the way I sound at work, but no-one has noticed thus far, or if they have they haven't said anything!

I feel I'm also getting into the maintenance and cleaning habit now. I have a good routine at work – I've been popping into our shower room at work to do my cleaning and flossing after lunch, as I'm a bit self-conscious of using the normal toilets to clean in case someone comes in and wonders what I'm doing. Silly I know, and I'm sure I'll get over it in time and just brush my teeth in the normal toilets!

One thing I am missing are my hot cups of tea during the day! Though I'm definitely drinking more water now which is good. I've also lost a couple of pounds, which I think is mainly down to the fact that I've had to eliminate all my snacking that I used to do, and the soft drinks I enjoyed!

I've attached a few pictures with the trays in. I'll update again in a few weeks time when I get my attachments, as I think that's when the process may become a bit more challenging!

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

So yesterday I got my attachments and my tooth filing done. I must say the past four weeks have absolutely flown by and haven't been anywhere near as difficult as I thought they would be.

The process of getting the attachments wasn't too bad. The IPR wasn't as bad as I was expecting, more uncomfortable than anything and certainly not painful.

I do think the attachments now make the braces much more obvious. The one on my left incisor in particular is enormous! It looks like an extra tooth attached to it, and it's really quite obvious when I smile. I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet, my boyfriend says they aren't that noticeable so I'll just have to wait and see if anyone else notices.

Removing the braces is more difficult now, but I haven't found it a massive struggle at all, it just takes a bit more time to ease them off. The attachments do catch a little on the inside of my lower lip when I eat, so I'm having to eat with a bit more care.

This morning when I woke up my teeth did feel quite sore, almost irritated. I had an overwhelming urge to just want to take the braces off! As the morning went on they really did start to feel uncomfortable, and today was the first time I have felt the need to take some paracetamol to ease the discomfort. However they feel OK now the tablets have kicked in!

I'm just keeping focused on the light at the end of the tunnel that it will all be worth it in the end!